Chapter 712: The Dark Sentinel 23

The emperor responded without hesitation. “Of course. Both of you are pillars of the empire. Naturally, you should be equipped with the most advanced weapons available. Leave that to me.”

Tang Wan smiled slightly, then turned her gaze toward Lu Tong, who had remained silent since entering. “That’s settled then. Tongtong, what about you? Is there anything you want?”

Lu Tong lifted his head at her words, his expression calm as always. “I don’t need anything else,” he said. “I only want ninety-nine Eternal Lovers.”

For a moment, the room fell completely silent.

Both the emperor and Tang Wan froze, caught off guard by his answer.

Eternal Lovers.

At its simplest, it was a rose. But not an ordinary one.

In this interstellar era, natural roses were already rare enough to be considered luxury items. But Eternal Lovers were something else entirely. They were specially preserved at the exact moment of their most perfect bloom, their time permanently frozen. No wilting, no decay, no change.

They existed in a state of eternal perfection.

Their value was beyond question.

There had once been a noble who spent an astronomical sum just to acquire a single Eternal Lover, yet even then, such items were not something one could easily obtain. For many, they were things with value but no market.

And now, Lu Tong was asking for ninety-nine of them.

There was no need to ask who they were meant for.

Tang Wan recovered first.

Her gaze softened instantly, warmth blooming in her eyes as she looked at him.

Who said Lu Tong was nothing more than a cold weapon, a machine built for war?

Ninety-nine Eternal Lovers.

What could be more… deliberate than that?

The emperor also regained his composure, his expression shifting subtly as he glanced between the two of them. “Of course, that’s no problem,” he said quickly. “However, producing ninety-nine Eternal Lovers will take some time. I will have the Institute prioritize it and prepare them for you as soon as possible.”

Lu Tong nodded slightly. “No rush. I’ll collect them the next time we return to Emperor Star.”

“Understood,” the emperor replied at once.

After that, Lu Tong spoke again, his tone returning to its usual directness. “If there’s nothing else, we’ll head to the front lines.”

The emperor blinked in surprise. “There’s no need to be in such a hurry.”

“It’s fine,” Lu Tong said calmly. “The sooner it’s dealt with, the sooner things settle.”

Hearing this, the emperor nodded. “Then I’ll await your victory, Admiral Lu, Admiral Tang.”

Lu Tong stood up. Without a word, he extended his hand toward Tang Wan.

She immediately placed her hand in his, her expression bright as she gave the emperor a brief nod before leaving with him.

After they exited, the Secretary-General entered the room, knocking lightly before stepping inside. “Your Majesty, what conditions did they request? You seem… distracted.”

The emperor exhaled softly before replying, “Notify the Institute of Temporal Research to produce ninety-nine Eternal Lovers for Admiral Lu.”

The Secretary-General stared at him, completely stunned. “…Eternal Lovers?”

“Yes,” the emperor said simply. “That’s what he asked for.”

Silence followed.

Of all the things one might expect from someone like Lu Tong, power, authority, resources, it certainly wasn’t something like this.

Eternal Lovers were beautiful, but in the grand scheme of the empire, they were merely decorative.

And yet, he had chosen that.

Not power. Not advantage.

Just something meant to bring meaning to someone else.

The Secretary-General stood there for a long moment, unable to process it.

Meanwhile, outside the building, Tang Wan had already wrapped her arm around Lu Tong’s, leaning against him with a bright, almost teasing smile.

“Tongtong,” she asked softly, though she clearly already knew the answer, “those flowers… are for me, aren’t they?”